A life of secrecy, fear and flight

The secret to a happy childhood is bonding, so the experts tell us. It stands to reason, then, that a key component of said happiness involves staying in one place long enough to establish friendships, community ties and a sense of belonging. By that measure, author Mike O'Connor had anything but a happy childhood. His earliest memories are of panic and despair at the prospect of being...

Bill Bryson strikes again

Don't ever read a Bill Bryson book while drinking a carbonated soft drink, or (as in my case) draft root beer. A snort of laughter inevitable in a Bryson book will send frothing bubbles up your nose or (as in my case) out your nose, which can be momentarily very painful, albeit exceptionally amusing to anyone in your immediate vicinity. Bryson's latest, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt...